Launched over a decade ago, Instagram has become the top app for entertainment and communication. This irresistible photo and video sharing platform is easy to use and completely free, making its story a Silicon Valley fairy tale. Instagram popularized stories on social media and was a pioneer in integrating shopping within the app. You've probably wondered how many people use Instagram at some point, so we're here to answer that question and many others as well.
How Many Users Does Instagram Have?
The platform plays a vital role in 21st-century popular culture, and the number of Instagram users will undoubtedly continue to grow. If you're not on Instagram, you're missing out on the latest trends. What makes it so different from other social media? Let's explore the specifics in a classic FAQ manner.
How many people are on Instagram worldwide?
A significant milestone of reaching 1 billion Instagram monthly active users took place in 2018. The platform was available on Apple devices only until Facebook acquired it in 2012 when it had 27 million users. Instagram user growth gained momentum and started skyrocketing, to reach half a billion in 2016.
The latest report points to 1.22 billion active users, so it continues to be among the fastest-growing platforms, only recently topped by TikTok. Even though it's unlikely for Instagram to exceed the total number of Facebook users soon, the differences in their approaches to networking don't make the two competitors.
(Statista, State of Digital 2021)
How many people use Instagram daily?
There are over half a billion Instagram daily active users. Facebook, its parent company, announced this number in June 2018, at the same time when they reported a billion MAU. Since then, Instagram has gained 220 million new users.
Even though the data from previous periods suggests about half of MAUs are active daily, the only official number of Instagram daily active users is still more than half a billion. Having so many DAU and the highest engagement rates, the platform has been in social media marketing experts’ focus for years.
(Facebook)
How many Instagram users are there among young adults?
The most extensive Instagram user base worldwide is among young adults, people under 34 years. Two-thirds of Instagram users fit into this category. The most prominent group as of 2021 is still 25-34-year-olds, accounting for 32.8% of all users. It's closely followed by users between 18 and 24, who make up 29.6% of Instagram's audience. Gen Z seems to be loving the app, but it isn't their favorite. Even though the total number of Snapchat users is significantly lower, the platform is the most popular for Gen Zers in the US, while Instagram ranks third, after TikTok.
The latest 2021 statistics for the US show a similar distribution of young adult users. At 32.5%, the highest penetration levels are among users aged 25-34. There are more female users within the group, accounting for 17.2% of the total, while the rest, or 14.9%, are male. Users aged 18-24 comprise 22.9% of the total Insta audience in the US, 12.7% being young women and 10.5% young men.
(Statista, Statista, NapoleonCat)
Who uses Instagram more, men or women?
When it comes to the gender difference in the number of users on Instagram, the ratio is pretty much balanced. The platform is slightly more popular with female users, accounting for 50.4%, while 49.6% are male.
When we analyze Instagram’s user demographics by both gender and age, the latest data shows that there are more male users within the most popular groups, 18-24 and 25-34. The gap is 0.8% for both categories, so we have 14.5% vs. 15.3% and 16.1% vs. 16.9%, respectively.
In all other groups, female users are prevailing. For the 13-17 group by 0.1%, 35-44 by 1.8%, 45-54 by 1.3%, 55-64 by 0.8%, and 65+ by 0.3%.
(Statista, State of Digital 2021)
How many people have Instagram in the US?
As of January 2021, the US and India rank on top as the countries with the most Instagram users, at 150 and 140 million, respectively. That means 40% of the total US population is on the platform. Digital marketing professionals are aware Instagram users are active and use the platform as a discovery channel, so it's an essential part of their social strategies.
Another research gives us more precise data and reports a total of 133,800,000 US users. With 57.3% of them being female, the platform is more popular among women in the US. Observing Instagram’s popularity by age groups, the US shows the same results as worldwide; the platform is the most popular with young people aged 25 to 34, with 43 million users accounting for 32.1% of the total.
(Statista, NapoleonCat)
Country-wise, who uses Instagram the most?
Kazakhstan has the most significant Instagram reach of a 78.5% penetration rate. Even though Kazakhstan is not in the top 10 by the number of users, Instagram's reach is stunning. Instagram statistics show Iceland ranks second with 76.9% and Sweden third with 74.5%. The next two countries are Cyprus with 74% and Brunei with 73.1%.
The list of other countries where the Instagram audience reach is over 60% goes as follows: Turkey (69.7%), Kuwait (68.3%), Andorra (66.8%), Norway (66.7%), Cayman Islands (65.9%), Bahrain (63.1%), Panama (62.5%), Chile (62.4%), Guam (61.5%), Ireland (61.2%), and Portugal (60.7%).
(Statista)
How many active users on Instagram post stories?
While Instagram started as a photo-centric platform whose founders shared the love of photography, the stories feature quickly gained traction after it was introduced in 2016. The latest data shows that the total number of Instagram daily active users who post stories is over 500 million.
(Omnicore Agency)
How many people have an Instagram account and use it for shopping?
An abundance of hashtags in the post description helps users find their interests. Not only do users not mind promotional posts, but seeing that Instagram has the highest engagement rates of all social media confirms that users expect to find new products on the platform.
130 million users report tapping on shopping posts to learn more about it. Not only that but overall, 80% of users make purchase decisions based on the content they find on the platform. The conclusion is that Instagram is an increasingly essential part of buyers' journey. 76% of marketers are wisely using it in their social strategy.
(Facebook, Facebook, Statista)
How many people use Instagram for discovering brands?
Instagram marketing is one of the most effective ways of using social media to your brand's advantage. The latest data and the platform's very nature revealed a staggering 90% of Instagram users follow a business profile.
Since March 2019, when the Instagram Checkout feature was launched, promoting your brand on the platform was not only about raising awareness, but it started directly impacting your revenue. The feature allows users to complete the purchase without stepping away from the platform, making them pioneers in in-app buying on social media.
(Instagram, Instagram)
How many downloads does Instagram have?
Instagram is not only mobile-friendly, but the whole concept suggests it's meant to be used on smartphones. The fact that many features aren’t available on PC also supports that claim.
With 503 million downloads in 2020, Instagram was the 4th most downloaded app worldwide. The other 3 apps ranked higher were TikTok, WhatsApp, and Facebook, with 850 million, 600 million, and 540 million downloads.
Statistics for the US report Instagram as the third-most-downloaded app with 62 million. TikTok and Zoom were first and second with 89 million and 81 million downloads, respectively.
(Apptopia)
Let's Wrap It Up
General audience, influencers, and brands: everyone's on Instagram. The platform’s trends are shaping the way consumers interact with brands. Every additional feature focuses on creativity and aesthetics, providing you all the guidance you need with filters, animations, and music. Wisely using the platform will take you straight center stage in no time.
